Method for making a cut glass panel

Abstract

A method of making a cut glass panel comprising a plurality of glass piece arranged with cames in a predetermined pattern between adjacent edges of the glass pieces and having flanges on both sides of the glass pieces. The method comprises providing a mold having grooving in the upper face thereof in the pattern of the cames, introducing moldable material into the grooving, allowing the moldable material to set in the mold to form the flanges for one side of the glass pieces, and removing the flanges from the mold. The glass pieces are positioned on the same or a similar mold with the edges of each glass piece spaced from the edges of the adjacent glass pieces in the predetermined pattern and with the spaces between adjacent glass pieces above the grooving. Moldable material is introduced in the spaces to fill the grooving and the spaces. The previously formed flanges are positioned on the upper surface of the glass pieces so as to engage the moldable material at the top of the spaces. The moldable material is allowed to set so as to form the flanges on the other side of the glass pieces and the webs of the cames and to bond the flanges on one side of the glass pieces to the cames, and the completed panel is removed from the mold.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of making a cut glass panel comprising a plurality of glass pieces arranged with cames in a predetermined pattern between adjacent edges of the pieces and having flanges on both sides of the glass pieces; said method comprising: providing a mold having grooving in the upper face thereof in the pattern of the cames,   introducing moldable material into the grooving in the upper surface of the mold to fill the grooving, the grooving being of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the flanges;   allowing the moldable material to set in the mold to form the flanges for one side of the glass pieces;   removing said flanges from the mold;   positioning the glass pieces on the same or a similar mold with the edges of each glass piece spaced from the edges of the adjacent glass pieces in the predetermined pattern, the spaces between adjacent glass pieces being above the grooving;   introducing sufficient moldable material between the edges of the glass pieces to fill the grooving and to fill the spaces between the adjacent glass pieces;   positioning said flanges on the upper surface of the glass pieces so as to engage the moldable material at the top of the spaces between adjacent glass pieces;   allowing the moldable material to set in the grooving to form the flanges for the other side of the glass pieces, to set in the spaces between the glass pieces to form the webs of the cames and to set at the top of the spaces between the glass pieces, thereby bonding said flanges for said one side of the glass pieces to the webs of the cames; and   removing the glass pieces bonded together by the cames from the mold.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of inverting said flanges for one said one side of the glass pieces prior to positioning them on the glass pieces, so that the upper surfaces of said flanges for said one side of the glass pieces when in the mold become the surfaces engaging the upper surfaces of the glass pieces, said predetermined pattern being a mirror image about a plane bisecting the pattern. 
     
     
       3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flanges for one side of the glass pieces are formed in a first mold having grooving in the upper face thereof in a pattern constituting a mirror image of the pattern of the cames, said flanges for the other side of the glass pieces being formed in a second mold having grooving in the upper face thereof in the pattern of the cames, said method further comprising the step of inverting said flanges for said one side of the glass pieces prior to positioning them on the glass pieces, so that the upper surfaces of said flanges for said one side of the glass pieces when in the mold become the surfaces thereof engaging the upper surfaces of the glass pieces. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 wherein the cross-section of the grooving in the mold and the flanges formed therein are symmetrical about a central grooving plane parallel to the upper face of the mold. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 wherein the moldable material is a two-part epoxy resin. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 1 wherein the upper face of the mold is of silicone rubber.